SUMMARY ? SOFTWARE ENGINEERING CORE The Software Engineering Core provides professional software design and programming services to participating Vision Research Core Grant (VRCG) Investigators. Vision science experiments are becoming increasingly technical and complex, and the services of a professional computer programmer will allow investigators to perform novel, cutting-edge experiments and analyses. The Software Engineering Core will employ a senior computer programmer who will provide software that is needed to interface specialized pieces of equipment, execute moment-by-moment dynamic control over stimulus delivery and data acquisition, as well as real-time analysis on streaming data, and other activities not supported by commercially available software. Software Engineering is an ideal Core service, as outstanding computer programmers are typically too expensive for an individual laboratory to support. The Software Engineering Core will also stimulate collaboration among vision scientists by providing software that facilitates data sharing, and it will support early career vision scientists as they set up their laboratories and collect data essential for future NEI grant applications.